Plate-glass plant.



No 797,346. PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905. M DAIGER.

PLATE GLASS PLANT. APPLICATION FILED MAR. so. 1905.

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ATTOri/VEKE mmaw a mum w womunwsmmzas wsmmwu u a PATENTED AUG. 15,,1905. M. DAIGERQ PLATE GLASS PLANT. APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 30, 1905.

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WITNESSES:

' INVENTOR wa'igcm Arron/m3 nrrn MARY DAIG'FR, OF NATlRONA,PENNSYLVANIA.

l llta t'ffi tiilur tfafa f lLl tWTu specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 19055.

Application filed March 30, 1905. Serial No. 252,876.

.To all 1077/0121 17 'lrt/v/ l concern:

Be it known that I, ltiARY DAIenn, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Natron a, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in.llate-Glass Plants, of which the following is a specification,referencebeing had therein to the accompanying d rawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvcn'ients inplate-glass plants, and more particularly to the manufacture ofplateglass and means for accomplishing the same, which will behereinafter clearly described and then specifically pointed out in theclaims.

.lteference will now be had to the drawings accompanying thisapplication, wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is a plan viewof a plant embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of an ovenand anhealing-furnace, showing the trucks and one of the annealing-earsarranged in an operative position. Fig. 3 is a vertical centralsectional view of one of the ovens. Fig. i is a detail view of therunninggear of one of the annealing-cars. Fig. 5 is a plan view of acrane-truck, and Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of theaniiiealing-car. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

My invention contemplates the provision of means for quickly andeffectively heating the melting-pots or glass-pots, means for removingthem from the ovens and depositing their contents upon therolling-tables or rolling-surfaces, and means for removing the rough orunfinished plates from the rollingtables and conveying them at theproper rate of speed through the annealing-furnaces.

The object of my invention is to provide such means as will obviaterepeated and unnecessary handlings and insure the proper manipulatioiiiof the glass from the time that the crude article is placed in themeltingovens until it is delivered properly annealed and tempered at therear ends of the furnaces.

ln carrying out these objects I employ a series of melting-ovens A A,Fig. l, and a corresponding series of annealing-furnaces B B, arranged,respectively, opposite the ovens with their front ends or months on aline par allel with the opposite faces of the ovens, as shown in theabove-mentioned figure.

Between the opposite faces of the ovens and l furnaces are arranged twoparallel tracks or road-beds C and .1), respectively, which extendparallel with the faces of the ovens and furnaces and bear thecrane-truck E and the rolling-truck F, hereinafter more fully described.The track (J carries the crane-truck, the latter being thus maintainedclose to the faces of the ovens in a position to remove the glass-pots.The crane-truck may be arranged in frontof either of the ovens. Thetrack I) carries the rolling-truck, as shown, thus enabling the latterto be moved with the cranetruck, so as to be adjacent thereto when aglass-pot is being removed from an oven. Additional tracks Ur extendlongitudinally through the annealing-'furnaces to convey theannealing-cars H, and return-tracks J extend parallel with theannealing-furnaees and outside the same to connect with the track D andthence with the track G, so that after an annealing-car has beenunloaded at the rear end of one of the furnaces it may be sent overtrack J to the track I) and thence to one of the tracks Gr in positionto be reloaded. Turn tables, such as are shown at K, Fig. l, areemployed at the intersections of the various tracks to enable the carsto be transferred withoutloss of time from one track to another.

In the drawings l: have shown but one series of ovens and an oppositeseries of annealing-furnaces; but in practice it is preferable toduplicate this arrangement by placing a second series of furnaces uponthe opposite side of the series of ovens, the return-track J beingextended through the series of ovens in Fig. 1 to indicate the manner ofconnecting the various tracks employed. When constructed in this manner,the ovens may be worked from either side or (preferably) both sides. Adescription of the portion of the plant which I have illustrated in thedrawings will, however, serve to explain the construction and operationof the parts, it being understood that the parts may be multiplied atwill to produce a plant of the desired size and capacity.

By means of the mechanism upon the erane-truck the melting-pots may beremoved from the oven and their contents deposited upon therollil'ig-truck, a roller f being provided to enable theoperators tospread the glass out evenly over the surface of the truck and form aplate. The sheet is then transferred to the annealing-car, which has previously been placed adjacent thereto, and is introduced into theannealing-ftunace. This car moves slowly through the furnace drawn by anendless chain, which is carried by suitable pulleys at opposite ends ofeach furnace, thus allowing the glass to cool and harden gradually, andwhen the car reaches the rear end of the furnace the glass issufficiently cooled to be removed and conveyed to the proper place forgrindingand polishing. My invention does not refer to these subsequentprocesses of finishing, but refers only to the initial processes ofmelting, rolling, and annealing, as described.

The ovens are of masonry, the pit or interior being circular in form,and within the pit at a convenient elevation above the ground is acircular horizontal fire-bed L, mounted upon a circular track M andadapted to be rotated continuously by means of suitable machinery. Thefire-bed is depressed slightly toward its center and is provided at itslowest point with an outlet N to supply drainage in case of the breakageof one of the melting-pots.

The construction of the fire-bed is as follows: O O are cross-timbersintersecting at their centers and connected at their outer ends and atintervals between their extremities and their centers by circularmetallic braces P P, a plurality of layers QQ, of firebrick or fireproof stone beingsup ported upon said framework of timbers and braces.This fire-brick forms the surface of the fire-bed. The braces P P carryrollers R R to travel upon the above-mentioned track M, and a verticalking-post S is secured at its upper end to the intersection of thecross-timbers and is provided at its lower end with a spindle T, whichis seated in a socket U at the bottom of the pit. The king-post is alsojournaled at an intermediate point in a horizontal beam V, the ends ofwhich are fixed in the masonry walls of the oven. A gear-wheel issecured to the king-post and meshes with a pinion X, which is adapted tobe driven by any suitable machinery. (Not shown.) The oven proper isabove the fire-bed, as will be understood, openings being provided inthe sides thereof for the introduction and removal of the melting-pots,and traps 21 are arranged in the top of the oven and are or may beprovided with suitable slides or doors. Small hoppers communicate withthe traps to enable the blocks or lumps of crude glass to be readilyintroduced into the melting pots, one of these hoppers 23 being arrangedadjacent to each of the main openings 20. The openings 20 are providedwith sliding doors 2%, formed in pairs and provided withcounter-balancingweights 25 to cause them to close automatically uponbeing released. As is the usual custom, glory-holes are provided in thesides of the oven, and a platform 27 is arranged on the plane of thefire-bed to enable the opera tors to walk around the oven to inspect thelnterior. Vertical draft-fiues 28 are formed in the walls andcommunicate with the oven proper to carry off the products ofcombustion, and the said flues further communicate, by means of suitableunderground fiues 28, with the annealing-furnaces near their front endsto produce a high temperature in the latter at the points where theglass plates enter. The heat within the oven is supplied by thecombustion of fuel-gas or other suitable gaseous fluid,which isintroduced by means of burnerpipes 29, and the necessary air to supportcombustion enters between the periphery of the rotary fire-bed and theadjacent walls of the oven, a sufiicient annular space 30 being affordedfor that purpose.

The fireproof stone which is used in the construction of the fire-bedprevents the conduction of heat to the space below the firebed and thusprevents the expansion of the operating mechanism and guards against theloss of heat. The space below the fire-bed is provided with a series ofarched openings 31 to provide ventilation and enable the gearing to bereached for adjustment, cleaning, &c.

The annealing-furnaces are arched structures, through which extendtracks to convey the annealing-cars, and an endless-chain conveyer 32,carried by pulleys or sprockets on the shafts 33, is arranged in eachfurnace above the tracks, the annealing-oars being provided at theirfront ends with vertical cone-shaped hooks or detents 3 k to engage thelinks of the conveyer. As a loaded car is pushed into anannealing-furnace this hook or detent is engaged by a link of theconveyer as the latter passes downwardly over the adjacent sprocket, andthe car is then drawn slowly through the furnace until it reaches therear end, when the hook or detent is disengaged by the rising of theconveyer over the sprocket at the rear end of the furnace. The shafts 33are provided at their projecting ends with belt-pulleys 35 or theirequivalents, whereby they may be operated by suitable machinery. (Notshown.)

The crane-truck is provided with a central mast 36, upon the upper endof which is mounted a revoluble cap 37, carrying a yoke or strap 38,having a central slot 39. A roller a0 is fitted in the yoke and isadapted to rock therein, and the crane-shaft 41 passes centrally throughthe roller and operates in the slot 39. The crane-shaft slideslongitudinally in the transverse diametrical opening in the roller inorder to enable the melting-pots to be drawn out of the openings in thesides of the oven. A curved rack-bar 46 is suitably supported from thecollar 43 and has a notched or forked upper end 45 to receive thecraneshaft 41, this rack-bar being operated by a rod or shaft 42,journaled in bearings 42 42" and carrying a pinion 49 near its lowerend. On its upper end this rod or shaft 42 is provided with a suitablecrank Q3. The collar 23 is locked to the mast 36 in any desired positionby means of a set-screw aka. The curved tor desires, and the glassbefore it reaches the rack-bar 4-6 may be supported from the collar asin any desirable manner, as by a keeper, (not shown) through which itoperates.

in operation the crane is extended into the oven and its forked end isengaged with one of the melting-pots, after which the crane shaft isdrawn back and the melting-pot is elevated and swung over therolling-truck, the contents of the pot being then deposited upon thesurface of the rolling-truck by turning the crane-shaft in its bearingin the roller. The crane-truck is provided with a lire-brick platform 50on the plane of the lire-bed to support the operator. The rolling-truckis provided with a flat h rizontal surface upon which the melted glassis deposited, and by means of aroller f'of the ordinary or any preferredform the glass is spread evenly over the surface preparatory toannealing. The annealing-car, to which the plate of glass issubsequently transferred, is provided with a series of small recesses ordepressions 52 in its surface, said recesses or depressions being filledand the surface of the car being covered with sand, upon which the plateis placed. The running-gear 5?) of the annealing-car consists ofcrank-axles which carry the wheels 54, and the resilient frame 55 restsupon the axles and is separated therefrom by small springs 56. Theplatform or table 57 of the car is supported upon the said :frame, thuspreventing the jarring of the glass in tram/ i a. The frame carries atits front end the vertical hook or detent above described.

it will be noted that the glass passes directly from the ovens to theannealingfurnaces with butone intermediatehandling--- namely, when theplate is transferred from the rolling-table to the annealing-car. Thedistance from the ovens to the annealing-furnaces is only a few feet,just sufficient to accommodate the necessary trucks and enable theoperators to properly handle ti 2 glass, and hence the heat of the glassis not wasted as when the glass is conveyed a considerable distance tothe rolling-tables and thence to the annealing-furnaces.

The rolling-table which if have described in connection with myinvention is operated in contact with the crane-truck and movestherewith from one oven to the next, as the operarolling-table is onlyexposed during the time that the crane is being swung around in positionto discharge the contents of the meltingpot upon the table. From therolling-table the plate is transferred directly to the annealing-car,which is at the mouth of its respective furnace, and after receiving itsload the car is immediately started on its trip through the saidfurnace. After emptying a meltingpot it is replaced in the oven andfilled by means of the hopper and trap, which are arranged adjacent tothe opening in the oven,

as be fore described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination, in a plate-glass plant, of the ovens, arranged inseries, the anneal pig-furnaces, disposed, respectively, opposite theovens, and the intermediate, movable rolllug-table, adapted to bearranged in front of either of the ovens, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the ovens, arranged in series, theannealing-furnaces, disposed, respectively, opposite the ovens, theintermediate movable rolling-table, and the annealing-cars, adapted tobe arranged adjacent to the rolling-table in its various positions,substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the ovens, ar 'anged in series, theannealing-furnaces, disposed, respectively, opposite the ovens, therollingtable, carried by a truck which operates on tracks which extendparallel with the faces of the ovens, and the annealing-cars operatingon tracks which extend longitudinally through the annealing-furnaces,substantially as specified.

4;. The combination of the ovens, arranged in series, theannealing-furnaces, disposed, respectively, opposite the ovens, therollingtruck carried by tracks which extend parallel with the faces ofthe ovens, the return-tracks extending through the annealing-furnacesand connecting with the tracks for the rolling-trucks, and theannealing-cars, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the ovens, arranged in series, theannealing-furnaces, disposed, respectively, opposite the ovens, therollingtruck carried by tracks parallel with the faces of the ovens, thecrane-truck carried by tracks parallel with the ovens, and theannealingcars carried by tracks which extend longitudinally through theannealing-furnaces, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of the ovens and anhealing-furnaces, arranged inopposite parallel series, and a movable rolling-truck carried by a trackwhich is arranged between and parallel with the said series of ovens andfurnaces, substantially as specified.

7. The combination with a melting-oven, and an annealing-farnace, oftracks arranged between said oven and said furnace, a crane truck on oneof said tracks for removing the pots from the furnace, a rolling-tableon the other off said tracks to receive the glass from the crane-truck,an annealing-truck, a track extending into the annealing-oven on whichsaid annealing-truck travels and means for moving said annealing-truckthrough the annealing-furnace at a desired rate of speed.

8. The combination with a melting-oven and an annealing-furnace, of aplurality of tracks arranged between the melting-oven and theannealing-furnace, a track arranged in the ann'aaling-furnace, anannealing-car on In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in thepresence of tWo wltnesses.

MARY DAIGER.

Vitn esses E. E. POTTER, (J. KLosTnRMANN.

